


I'll behave

by melonbutterfly



Series: Stranger Things Have Happened [4]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-01
Updated: 2013-03-01
Packaged: 2017-12-04 00:07:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/704217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melonbutterfly/pseuds/melonbutterfly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pepper isn't happy when she finds out that Loki and Tony are back together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'll behave

"Tony!" Potts' heels clack clack clack loudly on the marble floor. "I haven't heard from you in two days, I wanted to check if you're… okay…" she trails off when she enters the living room and sees Tony and Loki on the couch, doing something that looks like playing children's PlayStation games but is actually cuddling.

"Hello, Pepper," Loki says calmly.

"Loki," she replies stiffly. "Tony, a word?"

It's not like Tony hadn't seen it coming, but he's annoyed anyway. "Fine."

They head into the room that used to be an office when Loki lived here and became a dust bunny farm when he didn't. It still is, but Tony hopes it'll become an office again soon.

"Tony," Pepper growls, "what the hell is he doing here?"

"I would have thought that would be obvious," Tony replies calmly. "He's here for me."

"For you or your money?" she snaps.

Okay, no, he's not going to let this happen again. "He earns enough money all on his own and you know it," Tony snaps back. He takes a deep breath, trying to calm down, even if he's completely pissed off. This, exactly this is what he's had to deal with for years. Pepper would rail against Loki and Loki would rail against her, both fighting a weird tug-o-war about Tony's attention and his being on their side, but Loki has been pointedly civil earlier and Tony is just not going to do this again. Both of them are going to behave like the adults they are. "Do we really have to do this again, Pepper? Can't you just leave it?"

"How can I, Tony?" she returns, arms crossed and expression anxious. If Tony didn't know she's genuinely worried for him he'd be much more pissed off but even so, he's plenty annoyed. "Did you forget that I was there? I watched you get worse and worse, and when he left it only went further downhill." She takes a step towards him, expression serious. "Your relationship is not healthy, Tony, surely you can see that. He's not good for you."

"You're right," Tony says. Pepper clearly didn't expect that, she looks completely surprised, but Tony continues before she can try to drive the point home. "Our relationship wasn't healthy and I did get worse when he left. But Pepper, what you're forgetting is that he left for a reason, a good reason, and that I drove him away. It's not guilt complex, it's the simple truth; I used him to hurt myself. But I managed to halfway get on my feet again all on my own, and we're both better now. We have it under control, and we will be better as a couple now too. And I want for both of you to be civil to each other. You don't have to love him, you don't have to like him, but I'm not going to leave him just because you don't like him and you know it."

Not at all convinced, Pepper just looks at him for a moment. "You sound like an addict, do you realise that?"

Tony snorts. "It's the opposite." He steps closer, expression earnest. "I need him, Pep, I always have and always will."

"Not helping your case at all," she says, but her face is resigned, meaning she'll leave it alone for now. Tony hopes that this will be the last time they've talked about this, but he knows better than to actually expect it.

"Okay." Leaning in, Tony brushes a kiss to her cheek. "Want to come play Hercules with us?"

She huffs. "How can you even still play that, wasn't it released like ten years ago? And for PlayStation One?"

Tony raises both eyebrows. "Are you really asking how I made tech work the way I want it to?"

"Forget I said anything." Pepper rolls her eyes. "I have to get back to work, I just wanted to check on you." With a smile that is more a grimace, she brushes her fingers over his jaw and leaves.


End file.
